1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and process that allows a television viewer to access on screen television program listings and use the program listings in an easy and convenient way to control operation of a video cassette recorder (VCR) or other recording device. In addition, it relates to such a system and process that creates a directory of recorded programs by title for easy retrieval and program playback. More particularly, it relates to such a system and process in which the VCR or other recording device is controlled by a simple selection of program title and a record command, even for recording at a future date and time. Most especially, it relates to such a system and process incorporating an intuitive user interface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The difficulty of setting a VCR for automatic recording at a future date is notorious. Even users who are technically sophisticated will often make mistakes in the VCR programming procedure that cause them to record the wrong program or not to record anything at all. This difficulty has even resulted in a substantial body of humor dedicated to the subject of programming VCRs.
The difficulty of VCR programming has been alleviated somewhat by the development of VCRs that use a television set as a display for user prompts and feedback to the user during the programming process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,713, issued Mar. 13, 1990 to Michael R. Levine, discloses such a VCR using the television set as a display for VCR programming with an interactive user interface for directing the user on a step-by-step basis. Such a user interface removes a great deal of the mystery from VCR programming, but users still have difficulty with such a command-based interface and encounter problems carrying out the programming without making mistakes that cause them to miss recording programs they would like to watch at a different time than when they are broadcast.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,121, issued Nov. 10, 1987 to Patrick Young, discloses a system and process in which user selections from television schedule information are used for automatic control of a VCR. That patent also contains a description of a proposed user interface for such a system and process. However, the provision of a highly intuitive user interface that makes such a system and process easy and convenient to operate is a difficult task. Further development of this system and process has produced considerable change in the user interface as originally proposed.
In addition to simplifying VCR programming, users who do a substantial amount of program taping also need an improved system and process for keeping track of their recorded programs. Commonly assigned application Ser. No. 07/219,971, filed Jul. 15, 1988, in the name of Patrick Young, discloses a system and process that provides indexing capability for taped material. A user interface for a television schedule system and process should also handle this capability on an intuitive basis.
Thus, while the art pertaining to the control of VCRs and to television schedule systems is a well-developed one, a need still remains for a television schedule system and process incorporating an improved user interface. In particular, unlike most computer menus, a grid TV guide is an array of irregular cells, where the cell size can vary from a fraction of an hour to many hours—extending well beyond the current screen. If this array is navigated by a cursor that goes from cell to cell, a single cursor command can produce violent screen changes. For example, a cursor right command may cause an abrupt jump to a cell situated several hours from the current page. Not only is this unsettling, but may take considerable effort to recover. Clearly, a gentler cursor motion is needed for the irregular cells found in a grid TV guide.
Printed grid television schedule guides often include additional information besides the program title and broadcast names. Such grids are also typically provided in combination with a more detailed printed schedule that contains a synopsis of each program, whether the program is a repeat, ratings for movies, and other information. When using a television set as a display for a schedule system, the size and resolution of the television display limit the amount of text that can be displayed with the grid. Improved techniques are required for conveying the most amount of information to the user in an easily understood manner within the limitations of the television display. When a large number of channels are available for viewing, there is also a need to order the display of information most conveniently for the user.